Woman killed in hit-and-run on PCH in Torrance
A driver has been arrested in a hit-and-run which left a female pedestrian dead on the Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance in the early morning hours Monday.
The woman was crossing the PCH at around 1:45 a.m., near Calle Mayor, when she was struck.
She died at the scene, Torrance police said. She was not immediately identified.
Clothing and debris could be seen in the middle of the roadway. Police said the victim was not in a crosswalk.
William Delarosa works at a nearby grocery store that was closing when the hit-and run occurred. He rushed to the scene to try and help.
"Three of us, me and my coworkers came out...We saw there was an ambulance and police on that corner," Delarosa told CBSLA.
According to police, investigators were provided security camera footage which showed the suspect's vehicle. With the help of a relative, they were able to track it to a home in Wilmington, where the suspect was arrested.
"A relative contacted us about the suspect, so officers responded to that location which was down in Wilmington, contacted the suspect there, and then through their follow-up investigation they did make an arrest," Torrance police Sgt. Mark Ponegalek said.
Ponegalek said their preliminary investigation suggests the suspect was not impaired. He was later identified as 20-year-old Kevin Torres-Valencia of Wilmington. He was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run.
Both sides of the PCH were closed for several hours, but have since reopened.